Faroe Islands is a North Atlantic archipelago, located north of Scotland and halfway between Iceland and Norway. We got greedy when we were planning our Iceland trip because Faroe Islands are so close, so we thought it would be a good idea to stop by Faroe Islands as well and it was the best decision made. According to the local, the temperature does not change much all-year round, so it is kinda like the North Atlantic Hawaii.
Given the remote location, I thought things would be very minimalistic there, but to my surprise, it is a well developed country (the roads are better than Iceland!) and everything is easily accessible. Needless to say, the scenery is absolutely breathtaking and this is my favorite part of the trip.
On our way
We arrived in the middle of the day, and there are a few spots that are super close to the airport that we could visit right away on the island of Vágar. As we drove around, we immediately fell in love with the island. It is SOOOOOOO pretty.
Gásadalur Village
It is also called the hidden village. It is a very tiny village that is right next to a tall cliff and it is “hidden” because there are a ring of mountains surrounding it. Before the tunnel was built, the only way to get there would be to hike through the mountain terrain, but now you can just drive to the village and enjoy a short walk around the village and waterfall.
In the village, we went into a small local store called Uanni. The shop is owned by a local couple and they made their own sheepskin and hand-knitted products. The owner is very welcoming and started chatting with us about the Faroe Islands and the village. He was telling us that there are about twenty something people in this village, and they all know each other. When I asked them what do they do for a living, he told me that they just trade for things they need (fish with eggs for example) and help each other out when needed. Living in cities all my life, I just cannot imagine living in this way, such strong sense of community and everything is just so simple.
Múlafossur Waterfall
A beautiful waterfall where the hidden village sits.
Lake Sørvágsvatn and Bøsdalafossur
Sørvágsvatn is the largest lake in the Faroe Islands. The hike is 3km one way and relatively easy. The steep cliff in front creates an optical illusion that the lake is a lot higher than the ocean. But in reality, it’s only 90 feet above the ocean. Bøsdalafossur is where the lake meets the ocean, and there is just no words to describe this view.
Tórshavn on the Streymoy Island is the largest city and the capital of Faroe Islands, which is where we stayed most of the time (except for when we went to Suðuroy). We ended the day a little earlier than we normally would because we have an early boat ride to catch tomorrow to Kalsoy!